A Day in the Life
by highonDr.Pepper
Summary: Alex is sent to live with Wolf after an unfortunate incident. From Wolf's point of view.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

I've recently been hooked to fanfiction involving the K-unit and Alex and noticed there weren't any from Wolf's point of view. So here goes nothing. The writing seems a bit awkward to me, but I just wrote it and might redo it later so any comments and criticisms are much appreciated.

* * *

I am not having a good day.

Not only do I have to stay off duty while I recover from a stupid injury, but the government has decided that my time would be well spent babysitting some kid while I'm on desk duty. He should be moving into my guest room today. And I'm stuck in my apartment waiting for him to get here.

I'm not a social person. I don't make good first impressions. People tend to be scared of me and I'm fine with that. I hang out with my unit and other select few and that's it. I don't like the idea of someone moving in with me. Especially someone I'm supposed to be somewhat responsible for. Temporary legal guardian. Ha. I hardly live in my apartment. It's a place to sleep between missions and that's it. I eat take out all the time. Even I know it's not an environment for a kid. They should get a social worker to look after him.

And I told them that. But, no they said this is a special case. Special means MI6 is involved. I have no idea why MI6 is in charge of finding a guardian for a kid and I don't care. Maybe his parents are agents or something and he needs a place to stay while they're on missions. All I know is he will stay a couple weeks and then he'll go back to his own home or new permanent guardian or whatever. And when I say all I know, I really mean that's all I know. Well, I know he's fourteen, but other than that they won't tell me anything, not even his name. You have no idea how annoyed I am.

The doorbell just rang. I hope the brat won't be annoying.

I open the door to find an ordinary man wearing an ordinary suit. The kind of man you see thousands of every day but would never remember their faces because they all blend into one. Then I noticed the slightly battered boy standing behind him.

"Cub!?"


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I own nothing

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

Another chapter! Thanks for the reviews. They were very encouraging. I generally hate writing and don't know what possessed me to sit down and start a story, but I find I'm quite enjoying myself. I suppose not being in class makes all the difference. And reviewers. I have developed a profound love of reviewers. Y'all had the same comments some I'm answering you together:

Yes, I will try to update often. School is rather busy but I go to a school where everyone is required to have a laptop, so I find myself on fanfiction instead of taking history notes on American tariffs of the 19th century. I personally think I'm learning more.

The first chapter was kinda short, I know. It was a trial run sort of thing. This one is longer, though not quite as long as I hoped. Still, it's an improvement.

Yeah. Definitely no swearing. I'm one of those people who can't swear without it seeming extremely unnatural so it would probably be that way in my writing too.

I'm glad the slightly awkward writing fits the character! I didn't do that on purpose, but wow. Thanks I think.

* * *

"Wolf!?" Cub stared at me in shock and horror. I'm sure the expression on my face mimicked his. This could not be happening. Cub? Little double o nothing? Living in my apartment! No way.

"No way!" Apparently, Cub agreed with me. Good. If I was going to suffer I would bring down as many people with me as I could. It's a philosophy that has come back to kick me in butt (quite literally in cases involving Cub now that I think of it), but I find a weird sort of comfort in schadenfreude.

By now I had recovered enough from my shock to level a lethal glare at Cub. The boy seemed to be ignoring me entirely. Huh.

Cub was leveling a glare of his own at the abnormally ordinary man next to him.

"Ah, yes…well," the man gave Cub an almost pitying look for some reason, but seemed eager to leave. "I'll just leave you to settle in," he said, ignoring Cub's protests. He reached out as if to touch Cub on the shoulder, but thought better of it. It was probably the glare. I had to admit, Cub's glare was far more impressive than it had been at Brecon Beacons.

"Yes, well." He needed a new phrase. But Cub seemed to be making him uncomfortable. Pathetic. He sighed then turned and hurried away. I turned to Cub who was now glaring at the floor. I stepped from the doorway.

"You might as well come in."

"Right. Thanks," muttered Cub, watching me warily.

While he grabbed his bag and stepped inside, I observed him carefully. He wasn't in great shape. He was certainly fit enough with an athletic build, especially for his age, but he had recently been beaten up by someone. He had a bruise on his cheek and a cut over his eye. And it looked like someone had tried to strangle him but I couldn't really tell because of the hoodie he was wearing. And he looked older. Of course, he _was_ older, but that's not what I meant. Something was different that I couldn't quite identify. Oh, well. Not my problem.

We stood in the hallway for an awkward moment. I should say something. I'm stuck with him for a while so I should probably lay some ground rules and the like.

"Ok Cub, here's how things are going to work. I am not your nanny. Look after yourself. There's money by the door if you need it and your room is the second door on the left down that hallway. I don't help with homework and such. I can't cook. Your friends are not invited over and you are not allowed to annoy me. Clear?" I added an extra glare for good measure.

"Crystal." He glared at me again, but there wasn't any feeling behind it. He just seemed tired. He picked up his bag and headed to his room. I sat down to watch tv and try not to feel guilty about my lack of…I'm not sure.

It's not like I was mean or anything. Well, maybe a little. But, what did he expect? Sure, we had left on good enough terms but its not like I'm his friend. I just don't hate him now. Not that I ever really hated him, I just greatly resented him. Do you know what it's like to have a child stuck in your unit at SAS camp? Humiliation. That's what it's like. Ridicule. But I realize now that Cub's not an ordinary child and is actually quite competent. He was amazing last time I saw him in the Alps. Most full grown men couldn't have pulled off what he did. I wonder if his current bruises are from a mission. I can't see MI6 putting Cub in a lot of compromising situations. The Alps was probably a one time experience. Maybe he got into a fight at school. School. It has suddenly come to my attention that I don't know where he goes to school. I wonder if MI6 stuck him in some fancy prep school. Actually, I wonder what Cub's real name is.

--

The doorbell rang. I got up from watching the tv to answer it. It was my unit. Great.

"What're you doing here?"

"Hey James! Can't we just stop by to see how an injured friend is doing?" Snake grinned at me infuriatingly. He knew how much that injury annoyed me. I had been shot in the leg. But I was better now! I hardly even have a limp. And I hate being off-duty. Paperwork. One day I will get revenge on the bureaucrat who instigated paperwork.

"And we brought pizza!" added Fox. Tempting. I am getting hungry. But the fact that they brought food means they expect me to be in a bad mood (I ranted to them about having to take in a kid). It's a peace offering for me and an excuse to be nosy.

"Where's the kid?" asked Eagle, not bothering to pretend that they were just dropping by. I glared at him.

"In his room." Hmm…maybe I won't give them a heads up that it's Cub. I'll just wait to see the expressions on their faces. This should be fun.

"Well?" Eagle says, pushing his way into the living room. Eagle needs to work on his patience. He's practically bursting with curiosity.

"Hey, kid! Come here!" Fox is sending me a reproachful look. Like I'm not behaving myself or something. I'm being nice! Really. I could have yelled louder.

I hear Cub's door open and watch him slowly enter the living room. He looks rather depressed and only a small flicker of surprise shows on his face when he sees the rest of K-unit.

My teammates, however, are in shock. They're all staring open mouthed. I smirk. I wish I had a camera.

"Hey." Alex offered as he shoved his hands into his jean pockets.

"Cub?" Fox finally managed to articulate something. He sat down hard on the couch. A grin slowly spreads across Eagle's face.

"Cub!" Eagle is never quiet for long and he bounds over to Cub. "Wow! I never thought it'd be you! How'd you end up with Wolf? Where've you been?" Eagle clearly found the entire situation highly amusing.

"Shut up, Eagle." Sometimes, I swear he exaggerates his hyperness just to get on my nerves. Contrasting Eagle, a frown is slowly forming on Snake's face.

"What happened to you?" he asks. Of course, the first the Snake would focus on would be the bruises. He's our medic and very protective of the unit when it comes to health. And like it or not, we do recognize Cub as part of our unit. Cub looks confused for a second before comprehension dawns.

"I got into a fight." No really? We never would have guessed. I hate stupid obvious answers, but his tone clearly conveys he won't be telling us anymore so I decide not to bother with harassing him. For the moment.

Eagle and Fox are observing him more carefully now. Cub is obviously uncomfortable with the scrutiny. Snake still doesn't look happy but lets it drop as he opens the pizza box. Eagles starts questioning Cub as we head into the kitchen.

"So Cub. How long are you going to be staying?"

"Not sure." Cub replies looking more depressed by the minute.

"C'mon. It won't be that bad. You can do practically anything you want! Somehow I don't see James being much of one for supervision."

"James?"

"He didn't tell you his name? Typical. Hey Wolf! _James._ You need to work on your parenting skills."

I ignore him, but Eagle isn't phased and continues.

"Well, it's easily rectified I suppose. His name's James San Luca. I'm Luke. Fox is Ben and Snake is Jake. What about you, Cub?"

"Alex Rider." Ha. Now I know his name. And I didn't even have to ask. See, sometimes potential social problems solve themselves.

"And you're what? Sixteen?" added Jake.

"Fourteen." We all stared at him. That's not possible. Fourteen? Sixteen, I might understand. But fourteen! What is MI6 thinking?

"Fourteen?" Ben seems especially outraged. "Fourteen?! With what they have you do? That has to be illegal?"

"You know what he does?" asked Jake.

"Well. Not entirely. I just got a small picture. Remember when I worked with the Australians?"

"What were you doing with the Australians, Cub?" Curiosity is clearly displayed on Eagle's face. And it looks like Alex wants to make a run for it. He shrugged uncomfortably.

"I think that's classified." Right. Things aren't classified from your own unit. Of course, it is debatable that we really are his unit. But officially, we are. It's still on all our forms. Every mission we go on somewhere in the file it says Cub wasn't able to attend. Only 4 out of 5 members present. But maybe Cub doesn't know that. But he's obviously uncomfortable with it, so the conversation changes.

Maybe I should have the unit over more. They make things less awkward. I found out about Cub, _Alex_, without having to say anything. I'm not good in social situations and wouldn't know what to say if it was just the two of us at dinner. Of course, the only other piece of information they managed to get out of him was that he attends the local school, Brooklands. Alex is really good at turning around a conversation away from him so you don't realize what he's done except in hindsight. And I know that I'm going to have to talk to him on my own eventually. But I'm glad that the unit came over so I could ease in to it. Not that I'll ever tell them that or anything. Of course, they probably already know.

They leave after dinner since it's starting to get late. Tomorrow's Wednesday, so Alex has school and I have work. Stupid desk job. Alex and I stand in silence for an uncomfortable moment. Well, this is fun.

"I have work tomorrow, so I'll probably be gone by the time you leave for school." I feel guilty about that. Really. I mean, sure the kid should be fine on his own. I know he will be and I'm not going to baby him or anything. If he needed me to be here in the morning I would probably kick him out. But, well, tomorrow's his first day here and I'm his guardian. And leaving before the kid wakes is not what a good guardian does. Even I know that.

But Alex just replies with a calm and unsurprised, "That's fine."

"I might be able to come home a little earlier though. Around four instead of five. Even three if I'm lucky."

"Don't worry about it."

"Hey, if I can get an extra hour off from work for taking in a kid I'm going to go with it." It was a poor effort at camaraderie, but I offered him a smile. It was probably a little strained, but Alex's return smile was even weaker than mine. I might be a little worried about the fact that he seems so down except for the fact that I am determined not to worry.

"Ok then. Night." He went into his room as I turned off the tv. Maybe we would be able to act more comfortable tomorrow.


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I own nothing

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

I finished my AP history exam!! And to celebrate, I finished this chapter!

I forgot to mention last chapter that I got Wolf's name from amitai's fan fiction. And to the comment that the story seems similar, I see you're point. A bunch of stories I've read have probably greatly influenced this. I don't plan for the plot to be the same especially considering I don't really have a set plot yet. The premise of Alex coming to live with wolf is similar and if that upsets anyone I'm sorry.

I suggest everyone go read her In Loco Parentis and probably should have said that before. Oops.

* * *

My week just got a whole lot better. When I told my supervisor I had taken in a kid, not only did I get this afternoon off, but I got tomorrow afternoon off too! Maybe this temporary legal guardian thing won't be so bad. It certainly has its advantages.

I left my tedious desk job and paperwork at two o'clock. Two! Brilliant. So I figured I should go back to my apartment and be there when Alex got home since that was what I had been given time off for and since I wasn't there in the morning it would be the first time I saw him today. It's not like I didn't think the kid was fine on his own. He was. I wouldn't have survived Brecon Beacons at fourteen. But despite all that, the kid was still fourteen. So, I went home.

I opened the fridge and realized that I have no food. None. It's pretty pathetic. What did Cub have for breakfast? I'm sure he was fine. I was going to go to the store and get the necessities, but then I was told I would have to look after a kid and forgot in all the commotion. Ah well. I can just order food tonight and then stop by the store on the way home tomorrow or something. No worries. I settle down in the living room to wait for Cub.

When Cub arrives, he's glaring at the large cardboard box he's carrying.

"What's in the box?" Cub looks up, surprised by the sound of my voice. I guess he wasn't expecting me to actually get off work. Neither was I really.

"Make-up work" Cub answered. Make-up work? The whole box? Cub just shrugged at my incredulous look and said "I miss a lot of school. For missions and things." That's not right. I bet MI6 hasn't even though about him falling behind in school. I don't even have a box that full of papers at my stupid desk job.

"What do you tell the school you're doing when you're away?"

"That I'm sick. Flu, pneumonia, and the time before that was appendicitis but I was actually in the hospital with that one." Cub seems to think it's funny for some reason. I remember being told Cub was in the hospital with appendicitis. I wonder if people believe he's that sickly. There's probably some interesting rumors floating around. And what about the bruises? How does he explain those? But Cub's already picked up his work and headed to his room. I should probably leave him alone. It'll take him forever to go through that box. I guess I'll watch some more tv.

* * *

I've decided something. Usually when I do something, I do it to the best of my ability. It's practically the motto of the SAS. We enter everything gung-ho. And since I'm going to be Cub's guardian for an indeterminate amount of time, I'm going to be a good guardian.

I even stayed in the apartment this morning until Alex woke up. I said good morning. I asked about his homework and school. I was brilliant and fatherly (well, as fatherly as I'm capable of being). I think I scared him a little but Cub tends to take things in stride from what I can tell.

Of course, I had to run to work not to be late, but that's healthy for me. The sooner I get back in shape the sooner I can rejoin my unit.

I wonder what would happen if I didn't run and was late to work? Promptness is drilled into us from day 1, but it's not like I'm in training anymore. And if I were late I wouldn't be sitting here pretending to get something done. Ah well, best not push it. Besides, I can almost leave for the day.

The unit is coming over again tonight. They find Cub and me amusing. I wonder if…

And then my phone rang. And being the good desk lackey that I am, I answer it.

"Mr. San Luca?"

"What?"

"This is Mr. Davids . I'm the Headmaster at Brooklands. I understand your Alex Rider's guardian." That can't be good. Right? Headmasters calling isn't good.

"Yeah?" I should probably stop with the monosyllabic answers.

"Yes. I was wondering if you could come down to the school now. We're a bit worried about Alex and would like to talk to you." Worried? Did something happen? Not that I would be worried if something happened or anything.

"Did something happen?"

"Ah…well….are you able to come?"

"Fine. I'm coming." Great. Just great. Hey, I have a valid excuse to leave my desk. But somehow, I don't think I'm gonna enjoy this one.

* * *

By the time I get over to Brooklands, I might be ready to admit I'm worried. I might even admit to a few troubling scenarios going through my head. However I am resolutely convinced that it is only because I am responsible for the kid and anything that happens to him. I'm not some sap who worries about children just because they're children. Children can fend for themselves, resourceful little blighters. There's no need to worry.

I find Alex sitting in the headmaster's office surrounded by several worried looking adults. Again with the worried, not helping my nerves. I stand awkwardly in the doorway for a few moments while they all look at me. Maybe I should have knocked.

"Mr. San Luca, I presume?"

"Yeah."

"I'm Headmaster Davids. We called you here to talk about Alex." Okay, I already knew that. Any new information for me?

Apparently not. Now they are all staring at Alex who is staring back unfazed.

"What?" He's either a really good actor or he has no idea what's going on either."

"Do you have something you'd like to tell Mr. San Luca?"

"No…" I spent far too much time in the office when I was a kid. Principals offices make me feel claustrophobic and would love to get out of here as soon as possible. That doesn't look like it's gonna happen, unless…

"Maybe this is something Alex and I should discuss at home?" Please, please, let me go home…

"Ah, yes. Not a bad idea." The headmaster sat at his desk and started writing a note. "You haven't been Alex guardian for very long have you?" After I shook my head in confirmation he continued. "Of course not. Speaking of which, Alex, on behalf of all of us here at Brooklands I offer my deepest sympathies for Miss Starbright."

"Right." Alex looks like he wants to get out of here as bad as I do. I wonder what happened to Miss Starbright. Previous guardian? Maybe that's why he's staying with me, she's recovering or something.

Headmaster Davids finished writing the note, put it in an envelope, and handed it to me. "If your discussion doesn't go as planned, it's always best to have some solid information to fall back on." Oh, good. Now I'll know what happened without coming back if Alex won't tell me. And he told me how to go about it. Talk to Alex, then open this if that doesn't work. I can do that.

Alex hightailed it for the door and I was quick to follow him. There was another kid waiting out there for him. He grinned at Alex and waited.

"Hi Tom. What's up?" Tom. Tom is the friend and probably fellow trouble maker. Mental note.

"You know. What'd you do?"

"Not sure yet." Alex glanced at me and Tom seemed to get the message.

"Riiight… Tomorrow then." He left while staring at me with some sort of awe/suspicion. I wonder how much he knows. Alex isn't allowed to tell him much, is he?

"So what did you do?" I asked Alex as we walked out of the building.

"I really don't know."

"You don't know what you did?" I asked, giving him a clearly incredulous look.

"Oh, I know what I've done. I just don't know what I've been caught doing." He smiled at the sky for a minute while I glared at him. Then he sobered up. "But no, I've seriously no idea."

Great.


	4. Chapter 4

I'm not too happy with this chapter and I didn't make it to my goal 2000 words. It was close enough and I was at a stopping point, or maybe my brain just died, but either way here it is.

Thank you for all your wonderful reviews! You guys keep me going and actually posting online instead of just saving it on my computer!

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

* * *

When we got home the rest of k-unit was waiting for us.

"Where've you been?" Eagle grinned.

"Meeting with the Headmaster." They all looked from me to Alex in surprise.

"Oh?" Eagle was really enjoying this. "And?" There was a wicked grin on his face.

I decided that I needed all the help I could get and that if I was being called up to the school for something Alex did, he doesn't deserve any mercy, so I decided to share. "I don't know yet. Alex was supposed to tell me when we got home." I turned to Alex expectantly and the rest of my unit follows my example. Alex looked uncomfortable under the scrutiny.

"Umm…I really don't know?" He really does look innocent. Too innocent.

"You expect us to believe that?" asked Snake, quirking an eyebrow.

"Yes?"

"Stop speaking in questions." What? It annoys me. Alex just gave me a blank look.

"Fine. I plead the fifth."

"You're not American." Fox laughed.

"Just open the letter the headmaster gave you."

"No. I want you to tell us." Okay, so I might be prolonging things just to annoy him now.

"I'm not going to incriminate myself."

"So you've done something incriminating?" Eagle was intrigued.

Alex sat down in one of the kitchen chairs and crossed his arms, clearly ready to wait things out. Fine. I opened the letter. _It has come to our attention…anonymous source…injuries…_What?

"You're injured besides those bruises?"

"Huh?" was the eloquent response from Alex.

"What happened?" Snake had gone into medic mode and was heading towards Alex. Eagle and Fox had gone into their serious modes.

"I'm fine!" He got up from the chair to avoid Snake and took the letter from me. "Nothing's happened and…oh. Oh. Right, I forgot. Well, that's nothing."

"Yeah, that tells me nothing. Explain." I hate trying to decipher ambiguous comments, but I suppose Alex's dismissive response has calmed everyone down a little.

"Well, I've still got a couple scrapes…and some scars from previous incidents. I suppose in the locker room or something…someone must have…" he shrugged.

Okay. That's good. It really isn't a big deal then. It seems that he's done something else incriminating, but that's not my problem at the moment so all's good. Snake isn't happy though.

"I'm supposed to be informed whenever you're injured." Oh boy. Snake isn't happy. This'll be good.

Alex looked at him incredulously. "Why?"

"I'm the unit medic. You're still officially part of the unit you know. If you had injuries enough to leave scars, I should know. I mean, they informed me when you had appendicitis."

"Appendicitis?" Huh. Cub looks confused. "Oh, right. Appendicitis." Snake levels a glare at him. Clearly Cub didn't have appendicitis then. Busted.

"Let me see." Snake's got his stubborn face on.

"See what?"

"The injuries."

"I'm fine! Really. There's no need to.."

"Yes there is." Snake interrupted. "Now." He looks like he's willing to physically force Alex to show him his injuries.

"You know, I'm going to the doctor tomorrow. If there's anything worth worrying about I'm sure it'll be noticed then."

"You're going to the doctor?" I ask. By God, if they didn't just leave me with a teen, but a sick or injured teen…

"Wait, it's not time for the Service yearly physicals is it?" Eagle's worried he forgot something.

"No." Alex grinned at Eagle. "It's just to check up on an injury I got a couple weeks back."

"Injury?" I should have been informed of these things! Why didn't they tell me anything important! Argh.

"It's nothing." Cub shrugged, reluctant to tell us anything.

"No. What injury?" That boy had better tell me. Or else.

Alex grinned sheepishly. "I got shot."

Shot. He got shot. My brain hasn't caught up with the words yet. I'm just staring at Alex as he shifts uncomfortably under my gaze. The rest of the unit is just as shocked. Why on earth would someone shoot Cub? I mean, sure, I know the kid can be annoying and I might have wanted to shoot him a couple times during training, but I never actually _would_. What has he got himself into?

"You got shot." Alex nodded in confirmation. Ok. I can handle this. "When?"

"About four weeks ago." That's pretty recent. But I haven't noticed him limping or anything. He seems ok…

"But you're okay now. No complications or anything?" Cub nodded. "And you're getting checked tomorrow?" Another nod. Alright then. That's okay. "What's for dinner?"

"What's for dinner?!" Snake was incredulous, but Cub was grinning. "What's for dinner?! Cub's been shot and you ask 'What's for dinner?'!"

"It's not like I was just shot and am still bleeding or anything. I'm fine." Cub grinned at Snake as if to reassure him, but all he got in return was a speechless gaze.

"Where were you shot?" Eagle's never able to keep silent for long.

"Oh…ummm…" Cub hesitated, but a lethal glare from Snake spurs on his answer. "It was in the chest." Ouch. He's probably lucky to still be alive, which is actually quite concerning. Maybe I should go with him to the hospital tomorrow…

"Take off your shirt." Snake obviously hasn't calmed down any. Cub gave him an incredulous look, but Snake just stared back determinedly.

Fox stepped in, ever the voice of reason. "You'd best go ahead and let Snake have a look Alex. You might be going to the doctor tomorrow but it would make all of us feel better if Snake had a look. Besides, he's not going to give up." Thank you Fox! I would feel better if Snake checked him. I'm sure the doctors at the hospital are competent and everything, but I don't know them. I don't trust people I don't know.

Alex sighed with resignation and took off his shirt. He had a bandage on his shoulder and a larger one on his side. There were plenty of bruises. It looked like he might have been kicked. Then I saw the bullet scar over his heart. I think I just had a stroke. I can feel the vain in my head throbbing. That can't be good.

"You were shot in the heart." There, I said it out loud. It still doesn't seem real.

"Technically it was two centimeters to the left of my heart." I ignore his statement entirely, since there's honestly no difference.

"You were shot in the heart," I repeat, "and you say that's nothing?" Alex just shrugs. That kid is so frustrating. "You can't be fine if you were just shot in the heart a month ago." It's true. He can't. Not with something that serious.

"It has to still be painful!" See Snake is on my side.

"Well, yeah, I guess it still hurts." said Alex. "But not like it used to, so it's alright."

What can you say to that? There's a fourteen year old kid standing in your kitchen who has been shot in the heart and acts like it's nothing. There's no response to that. Snake's response is to start poking him and ask medical questions that Alex seems to be tolerating just to placate him. Eagle and Fox are lost in thought. Fourteen. When I was fourteen my worst injury was when I tripped over air and fell down the stairs. I broke my arm. That was nothing. That was so nothing I wont ever admit it happened out loud. But being shot?

"Should I go with you to the hospital tomorrow?" Everyone looked at me with genuine looks of surprise on their faces. What? It's the responsible thing to do. I'm responsible. I stared at Alex waiting for a response pretending not to notice the insulting looks of shock - although there was also approval on my teammates faces. As well as looks that promised endless teasing in the near future for being parental.

"No…that's alright. I'll be fine on my own." Alex looked uncomfortable. "And I'm going to be at the hospital awhile. There's no sense in you waiting around for me."

"Wait," Snake interrupted suspiciously. "I thought you said this was just a check-up. Why would it take a while?"

"I'm visiting someone in the hospital afterwards," Alex answered sadly. The look on his face makes you feel like someone kicked a puppy. But, I guess it makes sense for me not to tag along if he's visiting a friend. That could make things awkward.

"Is your friend going to be alright?" I wonder if it's a kid his age.

"It's doubtful she'll ever wake up. I know it's pointless to visit someone unconscious, but…yeah." Alex replied, almost speaking to himself. There was a moment of silence that seemed to stretch into eternity.

Eagle finally broke the silence. "What happened? I mean, do her injuries have any connection to your injuries or was it just a normal accident or sickness or something?"

"It wasn't an accident. She was my previous legal guardian." Alex looked down at his shoes for a minute before looking back up. He sighed. "I should really be starting my homework." No one tried to stop him as he left the room. We all need time to think. Talking with Alex always seems to raise more questions than answers.

"Well, good luck mate," Fox said after thinking for a minute. I looked at him questioningly until he explained. He grinned to show he was trying to lighten the mood with a joke no matter how bad (as Fox's jokes usually are). "Well, if that's what happened to his last guardian…" Oh, right. I see what he means now.

Crud monkeys.

* * *

I really like Jack. She's one of my favorites and I'm not sure why I did that. Strange. I feel like I should be psychoanalyzed or something for doing that to one of my favorite characters. Anyways, do you think Jack should die after being in a coma for a while or should she eventually wake up? I have no idea where I'm going with this. I could have Jack die and Alex either stay with Wolf or go somewhere else. I could have Jack wake up and Alex move back in with her. He could keep in touch with K-unit or not. There could be romance between a k-unit member and Jack or not. So many decisions to make. I probably should have thought of a plot before I started writing. Oops.

Review!


	5. Chapter 5

I'm sorry this chapter's late. I got caught up in summer starting and having to get a job and all that. And it isn't the 2000 words I wanted in to be, only about 1000. But I figured I should post what I have since I'm going to Europe (France, Germany, and Switzerland!) tomorrow and won't be able to post for about two weeks. I'll try to post as soon as I can after I get back!

* * *

The next day I finally got some much needed time to myself in my apartment. The on-duty members of the K-unit had a job to do and Alex was at the hospital. I had expected him to be back sooner. Visiting sick people always depresses me and I would assume visiting someone in a coma would be even worse. He must have sat by her bed for several hours already. I wonder what her name is? Come to think of it, I have a lot of questions to ask Alex when he gets back.

But that's fine. He can take his time. I'll just wait in my blissfully peaceful apartment, without any annoying team members or teenagers to bother me.

* * *

When Alex came back I could tell from the look on his face that he found hospitals as depressing as I did.

"So, how's the bullet wound?"

"Everything's normal. No problems."

"That's good… And the girl?"

"Jack's….the same."

"Jack?" I thought he said it was a girl?

"It's short for Jacqueline."

I can tell he doesn't want to talk about it and I guess I can't blame him. My questions can wait until tomorrow. I'll give the kid a day or so before I interrogate him.

* * *

Dinner was interesting. It was just me and Alex this time. I had decided not to interrogate Alex about his last guardian but that didn't mean I couldn't question him about lighter topics. Like school. School is a safe topic. And way better than sitting in silence like we are now.

"So, how was school?"

"School was fine." He's laughing at my pathetic conversation attempts with his eyes, so I glare at him, and he looks down at his food fighting a smile. That's annoying, but I suppose it's better than the depressed look he had before.

"And your friend? That kid who was waiting outside the headmaster's office?"

"Tom?" Alex grinned. "He's fine. He got a detention for trying to sneak into the girl's locker room, but he's fine." Ha. I snuck into the girl's locker room in high school once. Man, Melanie had a strong right hook…

"Does Tom…know about what you do? Wait, are there other kids like you? He doesn't do what you do, does he?" I can't see any other kid living through it. I still have my doubts about Alex living through it.

Alex grinned, "Tom once gave himself a bloody nose trying to open a Pringles can."

"I guess not then."

"Definitely not. But he knows. I had to borrow some base jumping gear from his brother when I was in a hurry once." Base jumping? I have to suppress a shudder at the thought. Why would he need to base jump? How does he know how to base jump? He didn't have to do any horrible jumps in training. I gave him a questioning look, but Alex just waved it off and went on. "There aren't any other teenage agents as far as I know, but I guess it's possible."

I really want to ask him what kind of missions he goes on and why on earth he needed base jumping gear, but he's getting depressed again. New topic…

"Did you try to sneak into the girl's locker room with Tom?"

"If I had, I wouldn't have gotten caught." Alex grinned, genuine amusement in his eyes this time. That's not good. Well, I guess it's better than getting caught and it's kind of amusing, but…I don't think I should find it amusing. I'm supposed to be responsible, providing discipline and all. But I do find it amusing and shouldn't let him know that, so new topic…

"And how's the actual learning part of school?"

"It's getting better. I'm closer to being caught up with the work."

"What does the school think when your gone?"

"They think I'm chronically ill. The flu, appendicitis, whatever." Alex doesn't look chronically ill. He looks like he's chronically beaten up. Does the school actually believe that?

"Do you need help catching up?" I'm not sure why I offered. Helping kids with homework usually isn't my thing, but it's not like I have anything better to do. Alex looked as surprised about my offer as I felt.

"No. Not unless you're good with chemistry." Chemistry? That's brilliant.

"I majored in Chemistry," I smirk. If it's possible, Alex looks even more surprised.

"I never would have guessed."

"I'm chock full of surprises." My grin must have been a bit creepy, judging from the expression on Alex's face, so I tone it down a little. "So, do you need any help?"

"I…I guess I could use your help then. Thanks."

* * *

Friday. One of the benefits of having a desk job is weekends. SAS camps don't believe in weekends. You can't exactly take a couple days off for some R&R when you're in the middle of a war zone.

I wonder what Alex does on weekends. He probably goes out with friends. Which is good because then he won't be bored and hanging around my apartment. But I do need him to be around some since I have some questions to ask him and this time I'm going to get answers. And the rest of the unit will be by this weekend and will want to see Alex. So he should be around some. Should I tell him that? No, I'm sure he'll be around enough. It's not like he won't be around at all on the weekend, right? Wait, should I give him like a curfew or something? I won't see him after school since I don't get off until 5, so maybe I should call him. No. I'll just wait and see what happens. If he stays out to late tonight, then I'll give him a curfew.

Besides, I don't know his cell number. I should get that next time I see him. Which shouldn't be too long. It's not like he'll be trying to stay out of the apartment to avoid me. Not that we're friends or anything. But I helped him with his homework and we get along fine. It was actually kind of fun helping Cub with his homework. I've always loved Chemistry and there isn't a lot of opportunities for me to use my knowledge in the SAS. And the kid wasn't frustrating or slow. He got everything the first time. It's just that he's missed school and no one's ever explained the concepts properly before.

Huh. I just realized I actually had _fun_ helping a kid with homework. I didn't see that one coming.

* * *

A lot of the fics I've read have Wolf majoring in Chemistry. I didn't know if people just made that up or if it was actually in the books somewhere, so I just kept it.

The Pringles can thing is from a friend of mine. )


	6. Chapter 6

Look! I updated! I know it's been awhile and that excuses are lame, but I'll give them anyway. After I got back from Europe I got my wisdom teeth out and was totally intending to write the next chapter while I was recovering but then had a bad reaction to the anesthesia that made it feel like my intestines were being ripped out. Yeah. Not fun. And then my excuse dies besides that after that I just didn't want to do anything and lacked all motivation. But then today I realized summer is slipping away from me! So I sat down and wrote this! It would be longer, but I want to post it today so this is it in all its unproofread glory. Possibly for awhile since summer is dying on me and I have way to much to do. Like multiple summer reading books. I'm starting with Woman Warrior and Eat the Rich: A Treatise on Economics. Both of which I find horrifying and neither of which you care about. So I'll just let you read in pace now and promise to try to update when I can, but no guarantees.

* * *

I was in my office pretending to push papers around and waiting for the last few hours before my weekend to pass when Mrs. Jones walked into my office. Deputy Head of MI6, Mrs. Jones. Yeah, that Mrs. Jones. One of the high ups of high ups, who I have never had the honor of talking to because I'm pretty low down in the food chain, just walked into my office.

And then Alex walked in behind her. "Hi, James." He nodded at me. I nodded back feeling extremely confused and hoping it looked like I had been doing something important when the penultimate boss had walked in.

Mrs. Jones nodded at me as well and then turned to Alex and said, "I'll see you on Monday." Before walking right back out of my office and ending my brief contact with authority. I continued to sit at my desk feeling confused. Alex took pity on my confusion.

"I was brought here after to school to briefed on my next mission. I'm leaving on Monday."

Another mission. Monday? That's pretty soon. Should I be concerned? What kind of missions do they send him on anyways? I…later. First things first.

"Why was Mrs. Jones here?" That's the most pressing question. I like to be forewarned when people like that are entering my office.

"I didn't know where your office was," Alex stated as if that explained everything. Which it didn't. I gave him a blank stare. Now Alex was looking confused. "…so she was showing me where it was?" He answered in question form. Clearly, we aren't seeing eye to eye on something. Deep breath. _Patience_.

"Yes. But why was Mrs. Jones acting as your tour guide?" There. That clearly expresses the source of my confusion. But, maybe it didn't, because Alex still looks confused.

"Because Mr. Blunt had more important things to do." Alex looked at me as if I was loosing my mind and I returned the look in full force. Now we had gone from confusion over the Deputy Head of MI6 to confusion over the Head of MI6. Wonderful. Try again.

"Yes. But didn't Mrs. Jones also have more important things to do?"

Alex shrugged. "I don't know. Probably." We stared at each other for a minute, both of us wondering what part of the picture the other was missing. "Oh! I forgot. Mrs. Jones said you can leave now and don't have to stay till the end of work if you want. That's why we came to your office. She figured if I was going home you might as well come with."

All the confusion is worth it if I don't have to sit at this desk being bored out of my skull for another second. I can straighten out the facts later. I can go home!

* * *

Alex slowed down almost to a stop when we reached the front entrance. I turned and looked at him. He seemed to be lost in thought and was looking at the front doors with trepidation. Weird.

"You okay?"

He snapped out of his daze. "Yeah. Yeah, I'm fine." But he made no move toward the exit. Something is clearly wrong, but I have no idea what. I'm feeling a little out of my league.

A security guard, who seemed to know Alex, looked over at him sympathetically. "I wouldn't like to walk out those doors again either, if I were you kid." Alex gave him a weak grin. The security guard gave him a comforting smile and nodded his head towards me, silently communicating to Alex that I was looking very confused. Alex looked over at me ducked his head down and looked at his shoes for a moment before reluctantly looking back up.

"I'm fine. It's just…a little left over paranoia." His tone implied that was all Alex was going to say so I fixed him with a stare that clearly informed him he was going give me more information. Or else.

Alex sighed and nodded towards the front doors. "That's where I was shot." That's…not possible. Here?

"You were shot at MI6?!"

Alex nodded, "There was a sniper on the opposite building waiting for me when I walked out."

He was snipered down at MI6. At MI6! That's intense. Must have caused a field day. That kind of a breach in security…I looked again at the security guard who seemed familiar with Alex. I bet the guards at the front entrance were the first on the scene. I don't envy them.

The security guard winced at the thought of snipers. "We keep a much closer eye on the surrounding buildings now. No snipers."

"Right." Alex didn't looked reassured. The guard clapped Alex on the shoulder and moved away.

I can't imagine returning somewhere I've been shot. It's never been an issue with me. When I've been shot…it hasn't been personal. No one lying in wait for me specifically, I'm just a soldier. And I've never been shot in a vital artery. I wonder what it's like to walk over the spot you lay dying? Oh, that's morbid. But valid. Alex must have to walk through these doors often enough. No wonder he feels paranoid. I don't think I'm ever going to walk through those doors again without compulsively checking the roofs for gunmen, and I wasn't the one who was shot.

"Do we need to use a different door, Cub?" I asked, putting my hand on Alex's opposite shoulder.

Alex took a deep breath and shook his head. "No. This door is fine." I could see him mentally preparing himself and forcing the paranoia down.

"Do we need a strategy? Are we avoiding certain routes?"

Alex nodded gratefully. "I take the left and door and then just stick close to the wall until I'm past the next building then cross the street." We started walking.

Not that such a plan would stop a well-trained sniper, but Alex already knew this. He was obviously being forced to use this door and the brain does weird things to try and make us feel safe even when we know better. My guess would be some of the things Alex had been through have left him with psychotic tendencies. In fact, now that I think about it, I'm slightly surprised he acts as sanely as he does.

Does he just handle things well or am I the temporary guardian of kid with some severe issues? I guess I'll find out soon enough.


	7. Chapter 7

AN: I decided to wait and question Alex until we got home, since it probably wouldn't be smart to discuss his work at MI6 in front of civilians

Hello all! I live on the Texas coast and we had the day off school to evacuate for hurricane Ike. I'm not evacuating. I'm of the hunker down and wait it out variety (although mom did go up to Dallas). I've got all my emergency rations ready and secured down all the stuff outside, so all I had left to do was wait. Since I'm not so good at waiting I wrote another chapter! Woot! I'm posting it without checking over it since electricity will probably be down for a while. Not that I really check over things anyway since I hate proofreading, but yeah. (Beta reader anyone? I have no idea how this works.) I realize I haven't posted in ages, but…I have no excuse. I'm working on that. I'll try to make the updates faster and post again soon to let you know I'm alive. Not that it's anything death threatening. At worst, flooding and broken windows. Maybe some blown over fences and trees. Unless it starts to flood, I'll be sleeping in the closet under the stairs tonight like Harry Potter! Or not sleeping, as I imagine it's hard to sleep through a hurricane. But never fear! I have snacks, a flashlight, and some good books to keep me company. And if anyone wants to update an AR story of their own to keep me amused until my laptop dies that'd be much appreciated too. :p

* * *

I decided to wait and question Alex until we got home, since it probably wouldn't be smart to discuss his work at MI6 in front of civilians. But when we walked through the door of my apartment I decided I was _going_ to get some answers, no matter how frustrating pulling information out of Alex was.

I pushed Alex to a chair in the kitchen and sat down across from him. "So, what were you doing at headquarters?"

Alex sighed. "They're sending me on a mission. I leave Monday." That must be what Mrs. Jones meant by "I'll see you on Monday." It doesn't look like Alex wants to go. Wait…he's still injured! I was only shot in the leg and I'm still on leave. And Alex was shot in the chest!

"But…but…you're injured!" They can't do that can they? It wouldn't be…right.

Alex shrugged and gave me a look that said I needed a new brain. "This won't be the first mission since I was shot. And I told you the bullet wound doesn't bother me anymore, remember?" Not his first mission? That's right…he had some other injuries that were bandaged up but I forgot about them to focus on the bullet. And you can still see the remnants of some fading bruises. So, these missions clearly have a level of danger to them and they're just going to send him out again. He's going to come back with even more injuries and he hasn't even recovered from the last ones! That's…unethical. How does he have time to live?

"When did they send you on the last time? How much time did they give you to recover from your injury?" I'm seriously not liking this.

"They sent me out the day I got out of the hospital." Alex saw my look of disapproval. "They were in a rush," he explained. "There were extenuating circumstances." There had better be some pretty impressive circumstances to ignore protocol like that, especially for a 14 year old boy. But, clearly there is nothing I can do about it. Yet.

"And why were you with Mrs. Jones?" Alex looked slightly confused at the question.

"…She was giving me my assignment, you know, for Monday."

"You get your assignments from the Heads of MI6?" That can't be…that would make him…

"Yep," Alex said nonchalantly, not understanding my incredulous look. "Isn't that their job? To give assignments?"

Alex doesn't seem to have any idea what that means, but I think I have MI6's highest ranking agent sitting in my kitchen.

* * *

Alex went off to do his homework. On a Friday evening which I told him was unnatural, but he said he wanted to get as much done before he leaves again. Which I guess I can understand because he's enough behind as it is.

The unit came by several hours later. I think they like Alex more than me. They never use to visit this much. Of course, usually I've spent the entire day with them on whatever job we've been assigned or we've spent weeks together in some godforsaken foreign country and just want away from each other. And we do have more free time now. K-unit is on the shift that gets all the easy one-day duties, like temporary bodyguarding. We'll probably return to our normal duties when my leg heals.

"What's up?" Snake asked. What's up? That's actually a very leading question. Let's see. I've just found out my intriguingly frustrating underage ward is an extremely high ranking agent whom it seems the government is mistreating and there doesn't seem to be much I can do about it.

I settled for "Alex ships out for another mission on Monday."

"So soon?" Snake frowned. "But he's injured." Like I forgot.

"I don't like it anymore than you." I gave them a look and they understood. That's what I like about SAS units. You grow close enough not to need words. I don't have to verbally disagree with the government. My unit can look at me and tell I would rip off some people's heads if I thought it would help.

"That sucks." Eagle offered his input. "When I was a teenager I used to fantasize about being a teen James Bond. This puts a whole new spin on that." Only Eagle.

"You're an idiot Eagle." Eagle grinned at me, but it was only a half-hearted grin because despite being an idiot, Eagle had a point. This sucked.

I saw Eagle get a renewed gleam to his eye. You can practically see ideas forming in his head and I've learned to be wary. Luckily for everyone in the vicinity, this time it was fairly innocent curiosity.

"Hey Cub!" He called out and bounded into the living room towards Alex's room. We followed him to see Alex coming out of his room. He grinned at the unit. "Hey guys."

They waved in greeting while Eagle continued trying to catch Alex's attention. "Cub! Hey cub!" He waved his hand in Alex face.

Alex looked at him like he was insane. Clearly, the reason he came out of his room was because Eagle had called him. He was already paying attention and Eagle was once again being an idiot. "What?" Alex asked, sounding amused.

"So I hear your headed out on Monday," Eagle started, practically bouncing with excitement "and I've always wondered what kind of weapons MI6 agents get." He looked at Cub expectantly.

Alex shrugged "I don't really get weapons, being underage and all that. I get a couple gadgets, but for weapons I just use what I can find. Like if someone isn't watching their gun close enough and puts it down. That way if I screw up the government isn't as liable."

They don't arm him! That's unbelievable. He can't have much experience with guns at his age. What if the only gun he finds, he isn't familiar with?! What if he doesn't find a weapon at all?! They just leave him defenseless?!

K-unit was already voicing all my concerns aloud, but Alex was just shaking them off. "It's fine really. I've always found something. Maybe not a gun, but there's always something I can use. And my age gives it an element of surprise, people don't expect me to take their guns. Sure, it'd be nice if they'd give me actual weapons, but I can make do."

"Do you know how to shoot? You left camp before weapons training." I asked. K-unit all quieted to listen to Cub's response. This is serious. They might be able to send him without a weapon, but to send him without knowledge of how to use one could be fatal.

"Yeah," Alex nodded "I learned how to shoot."

I gave him a skeptical look. When would he have time to learn? It's hasn't been that long and from the looks of things he's been busy. There's no way he could get enough practical knowledge is so short of time to be a good shot. This is something I might be able to help with. Probably not enough to make an big impact on his next mission, but I can start now. "We'll go to a shooting range tomorrow."

K-unit enthusiastically agreed to help out and show Alex the tricks of the trade. Alex didn't understand their enthusiasm. "Seriously guys, it's not necessary. I learned how shoot."

"Even so," Fox said "It'll be good practice. And besides," he added as he reached out to ruffle Cub's hair "It'll be fun."


End file.
